30 May 2004 18:49
IRRESPONSIBLE HYSTERIA
The BJP has been warned that it will hurt itself if it tries to push the country into a spell of anarchy simply
because it lacks the grace to accept the people's verdict By Valson Thampu Late in the evening on 16 May, Zee News
reported that a 30-year-old man committed suicide in Karnataka presumably in protest against Sonia Gandhi becoming the
Prime Minister of the country. Reportedly, the victim was a BJP worker. The channel inserted the incident cleverly into
an emotionally charged context comprising the injured pride of Govindacharya, Sushma Swaraj and Uma Bharati who all
claim to be unbearably upset. Regrettably, the channel flashed the news despite being unsure about the facts and
circumstances of this episode. At the time of reporting, the channel concerned was not sure if the victim had left
behind a suicide note. How, then, it peered into the mind of the dead person or divined his hidden motive are matters
that should trouble all those who believe in the freedom and dignity of the press. All through general election 2004,
the electronic media in particular showed clear signs of an ideological polarisation. The partisan nature of various
channels became disturbingly apparent. This trend can do no good to the freedom of the press that all of us cherish
greatly. The role of the media in whipping up popular frenzy during the anti-Mandal agitation is too well-known to need
any documentation. We remember how reporting instances of suicide provoked more suicides and pushed the country to the
brink of anarchy. It began with one Goswamy, who set fire to himself. He survived the ordeal and went on to become a
student union leader in Delhi University. But 36 other young men did not; they perished like flies in the fire. The
media played a major role in creating this epidemic of suicides, in blatant violation of the norms for reporting
suicides. The psychology of 'suicide contagion' is a well-known phenomenon. According to this, reporting one
suicide has the potential to precipitate more suicides. In any society, ten per cent of the population are in a state of
emotional instability. They are highly susceptible to emotionally surcharged promptings and insinuations. Even
otherwise, as per available statistics, more than 100,000 people most of them young men and women commit suicide in
India annually. In the city of Delhi we have students taking their lives just because they fail in exams. Such instances
are merely glossed over. But the alleged suicide of a misguided, frustrated party worker under dubious circumstances is
made much of, knowing well the tragic consequences of such reporting. This is shockingly irresponsible, to say the
least. The second disturbing aspect of this situation is the tendency to play with the lives of poor and ordinary people
to score political brownie points. Sure enough, the rich and the powerful will assume postures, threaten and talk big.
But we have never seen or heard of any among them suffering any loss, much less personal harm. More often than not, such
incendiary statements are made only to improvise an explosive situation in which other naive and foolhardy people will
allow themselves to be led by the nose into the jaws of death. It is a pity that the BJP refuses to learn the foremost
truth that the present election has confronted them with. The party committed political hara-kiri by assuming that the
whole country would jump on to any bandwagon they put out. According to this logic, they only had to say loudly enough
that India was shining and the rest of the country would lap it up, with their eyes closed. They only had to express
reservations about Sonia's 'foreign origin' and the whole country would recoil in horror. The rude
electoral rebuff they got from the people of India seems to have had no sobering effect on them. This can have only two
explanations. Either the party is woefully alienated from the ground realities. Or, it is pretending to be so. What is
the truth? How do people feel about Sonia's foreign origin? My mind goes back to a recent experience in a Haryana
village. I went there to address an inter-religious meeting convened by the Arya Samaj. On arrival there, virtually the
very first person I was introduced to was a young Russian lady, who had become the 'bahu'' of the whole
village. They were brimming with pride that a young man from their midst went to Russia and returned with a foreign
bride. The pride with which they showcased her! Instances can be multiplied. But what do the political mandarins living
in their ivory towers of affluence and personal ambition know about all this? The fact of the matter is that, in terms
of mass appeal Sonia's 'foreign origin'' is an asset rather than a liability. And I will not be
surprised if she climbs to dizzier heights of popularity and national acceptance in the days ahead. The more the people
see her unfairly targeted by frustrated, narrow-minded politicians, the more they will feel for her. The BJP should
learn a lesson from the great service that Jayalalitha has done to Vaiko. She has transformed him into an unparalleled
crowd-puller. By persecuting him, she has ensured her own downfall. Likewise, by continuing to target Sonia, the BJP can
only elevate her to the status of a popular icon. The BJP should be clearly forewarned that it will hurt itself and dent
its credibility seriously if it tries to push this country into a spell of anarchy, simply because it lacks the grace to
accept the verdict of the people. Verdict 2004 speaks loudly of the groundswell of anger against the anti-people
policies and strategies of the BJP. It is a clear and decisive vote for secularism and communal harmony. People have
voted for peace and prosperity. The BJP should know that the country has come a long way away from the Mandal days. No
one wants to die. Everyone wants to live; and live well. The people know that political and social stability are
essential to attain this goal. They are sure to conclude that those who create anarchy and pointless upheavals are the
enemies of their welfare. At this crucial juncture the nation looks up to Vajpayee and expects him to make the party
behave like a responsible opposition. Let us hope that he will not keep quiet as he did when Gujarat was burning, and
fail India in this hour of need.
[The Statesman (India)] |
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